Ophthalmic mounting



March 19, 19407y R MALCQM 2,194,401

oPHTHALuIc MOUNTING Filed Aug. s1. 193s i @www Patented Mar. 19, 1940 4UNITED sTATEs FTE T GFFICE 8 Claims.

This: invention relates to the bridge members that connect Athe eyecups ror other lens holders of goggles o-r other ophthalmic mountings, and more particularly to means to adjust the length 5 of those members to conform the cups comfortably' and in eye alinement to the facial characteristics of 'a user.

The bridgel member is elongated and flexible, and it has a 'series of enlargements. It may be a conventional ball-chain as shown, or it may be of other suitable form having a series of enlarged parts affording abutments to cooperate with parts hereinafter described.

It is an object of the invention to provide l5' means, jfor connecting a bridge member of this kindto one or-both of the lens holders, soarranged 'that` the member easily may be varied in length between the'holders so that the latter may be spaced to meet the requirements of anser.

Another` object is to provide means` that will reta-in. the bridge member in association With a lens holder without liability of disconnection therefrom or change in the adjustment.

Further, thek invention provides a connecting means so formed that a iiexiblebridge of the kind referred to. may be. shortened simply by pulling itv past the holding part of the connec-v tion.

Other characteristics of: the invention are apparent in ythe following description.

Thev invention .is exemplified herein in association with` goggles, and for convenience and brevity thev lens holders are referred to as eyecups, .but it vis. to be understood thatthe disclosure made and termsfused are intended to denote also equivalent partsy ol any ophthalmic mounting toK which thevinvention .is applicable, andfthat it is not limited to mountings of the goggle type.

o Like reference-characters refer to correspond; L ing parts in the views of the drawing, of which- Fig. l is a front view of a pair of goggles;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section through one of the eyecups on line 2 2, Fig. 1;

.i5- Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig; 2;

' Fig. Alis a view of the spring arm; i

Fig. 5 is a view of another form of that arm;

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig.v 3 illustrative of use of another form of bridge member;

Fig. 'l is a fragmentary section, as on vline 2 2, Fig. l, the arm being omitted.` Goggles, of the typev shown for purpose of exemplication, include conventional .eyecups Hv with rigid circular sidewalls-- l2 shapedy at their inner edges toconform'to average lfacial conf (o1. s ii) common-in the art.

The eyecups are connected by a bridge I6. The bridge comprises an elongated flexible member having a series of abutments for cooperation with locking means in the eyecups. As shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, the flexiblebridge member may 10 be formed of a plurality of balls Il connected in spaced relation by aseries of link members I3l;

or, as shown in Fig. 6, it may be a chain I9, links of which constitute abutments. The bridge member may be covered between the cups by a tube 15 2li of rubber or other soft material as a cushion atthe bridge of the nose.

In order to permitfthe flexible bridge member to traverse through side walls of the eyecups in adjusting the length of the bridge, each of those 20 walls is perforated in the nasal side to pro-vide a hole or passage 2l large enough to permit movement therethrough of theabutrnent parts of the bridge member. The wall at the inner end of the hole is reamed out and enlarged at one side 25 to a somewhat oval shape, as indicated at 22, in arplace that is under the slot of a locking arm now described.

Adjusting movement of the bridge member is permitted and that member locked by a somewhat 30 thin spring `arm 23 of sheet metal or other suitable material, one of which is positioned. inside y of each eyecup. The arm is formed with an enlarged end portion 24,*a shank 25 ,extending therefrom, and an enlarged approximately circular 35 terminal portion 2E. The portion 26 is concave or :cupped as shown at 2l, and a an'ge 28" surrounds the cup. A slot 29 extends from the periphery through the iange into the cup whereby iingers 30 are afforded. The slot may extend 40 from the periphery at the end of the arm as shown in Fig. 4 or-it may extend from a side as shown in Fig. 5.

The arm is permanently iixed at its enlarged end til to the wall of the eyecup by rivets 3| or 45 vother suitable fasteners as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or it may have at that end an integral pin 31a that seats -in a depression in the eyecup as shown in Fig. 6, whereby aA `single rivet or the like together-1 withr the pin prevents lateral swing of 50 the arm.` The attachment is such that the cup 2 seats in the end of the hole 2l and thefflange 28T against the wall of the eyecup, the flange being. large enough to overlap' that wall. The slot 291s. ofasize to` permit link members I8 orlinks 55 of the chain I9, as the case may be, to be received between the fingers 30. permit ball members I1 to seat therein.

With an abutment of the iiexible bridge member (whether a ball of the ball-chain form, a link of the chain form, or the equivalent abutting part of some other suitable form) seated in the cup 2l and with the fingers 30 straddling the member, the bridge member is locked and lengthening thereof under pull while the goggles are in use is prevented; and, when the bridge member is slack while the goggles are not in use, its

movement in shortening direction is prevented v by the arm. As the flange 28 rests against the eyecup wall, pull of the bridge member against the arm while the goggles are in use is4 imposed directly against that wall, whereby locking of` great strength is afforded; Adjustment of the bridge member to the desired length once having been made, it will remain adjusted until readjustment is desired and eiected.

The bridge adjusting means may be associated with both eyecups; or it may be associated with only oneof them, in which case the flexible member l'I--IS (or I9) is fixed to the other cup in any suitable manner, as shown, for, example, on one of the cups in Fig. 1.

Goggles having this invention embodied therein may be placed on sale with the bridge lengthened to the maximum or nearly so. Then it is easy for a purchaser to shorten the bridge to bring the eyecups to the spaced relation required by him by simply pulling the exible bridge member inwardly of one or both of the eyecups past the free end of thearm 23. During this movement, that end of the arm is flexed from the end of the hole 2| and away from the eyecup wall to the extent necessary for enlargements of the flexible bridge member to pass between the under side of the arm end and the reamed edge of the hole, the arm end returning to normal position after each release of an enlargement and nally locking the bridge member when adjustment is completed.

It is easy also to lengthen the bridge. This is accomplished by raising the locking end of the arm 23-as by prying with a knife blade or other suitable article-when the link member between enlargements may be pulled from between arm fingers, whereupon the flexible member may be pulled outwardly of the eyecup to the extent required, and then the arm returns to normal and locking position.

The movement of the spring arm 23 awayy The flexible bridge member may be associatedl initially with an eyecup by pushing the end ball l1 (or equivalent abutment) from the optside into the passage 2l and past the end of the arm 23, and then it may be grasped with the fingers and the member pulled in to the extent desired.

I claim:

1. An ophthalmic mounting comprising lens holders one of which has a Wall perforated by a passage in its nasal sidea bridge member hav- The cup is of a size to ing a series of abutments movable in said passage, and a spring arm fixed near one end to said wall and having on its other end portion a cup normally-seated in an end of said passage to receive abutments of said member, there being a slot extending to said cup for reception of parts of said bridge member between its abut- `ments, said cupped end portion being movable away from said wall to permit release of said bridge member from said cup and slot and its adjusting movement in said passage. n

2. An ophthalmic mounting comprising lens holders one of which has a wall perforated by a passage in its nasal side, a bridge member having a series of abutments movable in said passage, and a spring arm xed near one end to said Wall and having on its other end portion a cup normally seated in an end of said passage to receive abutments of said bridge member and a flange outside of said cup contactable with said wall, there being a slot extending to said cup for reception of parts of said bridge member between its enlargements, said cupped end portion being movable away from said Wall to permit release of said bridge member from said cup and slot and its adjusting movement invsaid passage.

3. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair o lens holders one or' which has a wall perforated by a passage in its nasal side a bridge member connected with the other of said lens holders and having a series of abutments movable in said passage, and a spring arm fixed near one end to said wall, having exure Aonly lin a plane substantially perpendicularto the axis of the lens holder, and with its other end disposed over an end of said passage-and normally between abutments of said bridge member, said latter end being movable by lexure of said arm away from said wall to permit adjusting movement of said bridge member in said passage.

4. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of lens holders one of which rhasfa wall perforated by a passage in its nasal side, a bridge member connected with the other of said lens holders and having a series of abutments in said passage, and a spring arm fixed near one end to said wall, having iiexure only in a plane sub-` stantially perpendicular to the axis ofthe lens holder, and having a slot in its other end portion over an end of said passage in which said bridge member normally seats between abutments thereof, said slotted end portion being movable by flexure of said arm away from -saidwall to permit release of said bridge member from saidl slot and adjusting movement of said bridge member in said passage.

5. An ophthalmic mounting comprising lens holders one of which has a wall perforated by a; passage in its nasal side, said passage at-one end being enlarged at one side, a bridge member having a series of abutments movable in said passage, and a spring arm xed at one end to said wall and at its free other end disposed over the enlarged end of said passagel and normallyl positioned between abutments of said bridge member, said free end being movable by exure of said arm` away from said Wall to permit traverse of bridge abutments under it in said end enlargement and adjusting movementof said bridge member.

6. An ophthalmic mounting comprising lens holders one of which has a wall perioratedby a passage in its nasal side, said passage at one end being enlarged at one side,` a bridge member havins .a Series Qf, abutmentsmyam msgid-pas, n

sage, and a spring arm fixed at one end to said wall and at its free other end portion having a slot over the enlarged.- end' of said passage in which saidvbridge member between abutments thereof normally seats, said slotted end portion being movable by exure of said arm away from said Wall tov permit release oi said bridge member from said slot and traverse of `bridge abutments `under-said end portion in said end enlargement and adjusting movement of said'bridge member. 7. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of lens holders one of which lhas a wall per-v forated by a passage in its nasal side, a bridge I member connected with the other of said lens holders vand having a series of abutments movable in said passage, and a spring arm fixed near one end to said Wall, having flexure in a plane ysubstantially perpendicular to the axis' of the lens holder, and with its other end disposed over an endl of said passage and lnormally between abutments of said bridge member, said latter end ber in said passage. v f j ROBFRTMALCOM'. 20

member connected With the other .of 4said lens holders and having a series of abutments in said passage, and a spring arm fixed near one end to said Wall,r having exure. in ai plane substan- 1 tially perpendicular tothe axis of the lens vholder,I and` having a slotI in vits other end portion e over an end of said passage in which said bridge member normally seats between abutments thereof, said yslotted end portionV being movable by exure rof said arm away from said wall to permit release of said bridge member from said slot and adjusting movement ofsaid bridge mem-` l 

